Apparatus for treating pistons



Dec. 26, 1939. OLSON 2,184,680

APPARATUS FOR TREATING PISTONS Filed Nov. 21, 1938 4 Shets-Sheet 1 I H u fil V o 0 son 2) mm mt;

Dec. 26, 1939. M, OLSON 2,184,680

APPARATUS FOR TREATING PISTONS Filed Nov. 21. 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 26, 1939. H. M. OLSON 80 APPARATUS FQR TREATING PISTONS Filed Nov. 21. 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 @f 953' '1 \hvem 63 0% M. O\son m lg W "UM; W

Dec. 26, 1939. OLSON 2,184,680

APPARATUS FOR TREATING PISTONS Filed Nov. 21, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 2a wig Ho M. 050

b- Mama now Patent No. 2,149,787.

Patented Dec. 26, 1939 2,184,680 APPARATUS FOR TREATING PISTONS Holly M. Olson, Muskegon, Mich., assignor to Sealed Power Corporation, Muskegon, Mich., a corporation. of Michigan Application November 21, 1938, Serial No. 241,519

15 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for treating pistons, and is a continuation in part of my prior application for Method of treating pistons, Serial No. 159,313, filed August 16, 1937,

The invention relates to piston expanding and is concerned with a novel machine for expanding the skirts of worn pistons after' servioe in engines to enlarge the piston skirt to better fit the cylinder in which 0 it is installed. With my invention a machine is provided wherein a piston may be fixed in position in the machine, and upon operation of the machine the piston will be acted against at its inner sides and at diametrically opposite points by impact rods, the force of the impact serving to displace the metal and stretch the piston skirt around its outer peripheral surface to thereby enlarge the skirt and cause it to more closely fit a cylinder in which it is used. With the machine the piston may be turned about its vertical axis while the operation is being performed, to thereby effect a substantially uniform or more nearly uniform treatment of the skirt entirely around it; and further, means are provided for moving the piston vertically with respect to the impacting members whereby a Wider vertical zone of impact around the inner side of the skirt is had, with a resultant better operation.

It is an object and purpose of the present invention to provide a machine for the purpose stated, and also for the attainment of many other beneficial results which will be hereinafter described. As one desirable feature in connection with the machine, a means is provided for setting the machine for a predetermined impacting operation upon a piston, the machine operating and performing its work for a preselected period of operation, and after the desired period has elapsed and the desired treatment of the piston has occurred, the machine will be automatically stopped in operation.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the machine made in accordance with my invention, with some parts broken away for a better disclosure of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section and side elevation of the machine, the section being approximately on the plane of line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial horizontal section and plan,

a part of the section being taken on the plane of the upper horizontal line 33 and another part on the plane of the lower line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section upon the plane of line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section substantially on the plane of line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an elevation partly in section, looking at Fig. 5 from the left.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section on the plane of line 'l-'! of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section substantially on the plane of line 8--8 of Fig. 5, and 10 Fig. 9 is a vertical section and plan substantially on the plane of line 99 of Fig. 2.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the diiferent figures of the drawings.

The supporting structure for the machine in- 15 cludes a base member I and a hollow housing 2 thereover, secured in place and which toward the front end at one side has an upwardly extending hollow extension 3. In front of said extension the housing includes a horizontal ledge l in 20,

rear end is equipped with a wheel H driven through an endless belt l2 by an electric motor l3. At the front end of the shaft 9 a disk Hi is mounted, from which a pin I5 projects in' a forward direction, on which a roller l6 is-mounted. The pin I5 is set a distance from the center of the disk, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

A vertical bar I! passes through the slot 5 and lies in front of the upward extension 3 of the housing. At the lower end the bar is vertically slotted so that the pin l5 and the roller l6 may extend between the vertical portions of the bar at opposite sides of the slot. Also spaced vertical guides I8 of angle bar are riveted or otherwise permanentlyconnected to the front face of the bar I! against the inner flanges of which the roller [6 bears. The bar l'l toward its upper end is carried by a horizontal stub shaft l9 which extends through and is rockingly mounted near the upper end of the extension 3 of the housing. Withthis construction when the motor i3 is receiving and drives the shaft 9, the bar I1 is oscillated rapidly back and forth about the axis of the shaft l9, the length'of the slot 5 being Such as to permit such oscillation. v

A short distance above the ledge 4 of the housing 2 a supporting shelf 20 is permanently secured to and extends in front of the bar ll. Shelf 20 is in a horizontal position, and as shown in Fig. 4, has opposed extensions in each of which a slot 22 is cut. Piston locating members 23 with vertical flanges 24 of substantially V-form are adjustably mountedon the sleeve 20 and may be retained in any position to which moved by tightening the bolts 22a which pass through the slots 22 and through said members 23. The piston 2| which is to be treated is located with the skirt portion there'of extending downwardly and with the lower endof the piston resting upon the shelf, the skirt being :between the upwardly extending flanges 24, which are adjusted toward the piston to locate it approximately or as close as possible centrally with respect to the center of the table 23. But the locating members 22 are not brought into clamping engagement with the outer sides of the piston skirt, but bear lightly against said piston skirt whereby the pistonmay be moved up and down readily without being held by any clamping engagement thereagainst.

Above and at the central portion of the shelf 2% a rod holding block 25 is located and permanently secured, whereby when the piston is placed upon the shelf the skirt portion is located over the block which extends upwardly into the piston a considerable distance, as shown in Fig. l. The rod holding block has a plurality of horizontal passages therethrough at closely spaced vertical distances from each other in which the impacting rods 26 are loosely mounted. Preferably, though not necessarily, the ends of the rods 25 are pointed, but the shape and formation of the ends of the rods are subject to wide variation.

At the front face of the bar ll a vertical guide 2'! is secured extending from the upper end of bar ll downwardly toward the table 20 as shown in Fig. 2. Such guide as shown in Fig. 9 has inwardly tapered side edges. A supporting bracket and housing 26 is located in front of the guide 2'1, having rearwardly extending lower and upper horizontal arms 29 and 3D, shaped at their rear ends to engage with the inwardly'tapered edges of the guide bar 27, and the lower arm 29 is split and equipped with a clamping arrangement operated by a handle 3! whereby the bracket 28 may be raised or lowered for adjustment to diiferentpositions on the guide bar 27 and clamped in any position to which adjusted.

A vertical rod 32 extends through the front portion of the bracket housing 28, being equipped at its upper end with a handle 33 pivotally connected thereto which is forked at its inner end (Fig. 9), the free ends of the forks having rounded surfaces 34, as shown. The handle may be manually operated to turn the rod 32 about its vertical axis, or by turning the handle 3i upwardly, the rounded ends 3d engaging against the upper side of .the bracket housing 28 will move the rod in a vertical direction against a compression spring 35 which is housed within the bracket 28.

Rod 35 at its lower end has a collar 36 fixed thereto from which an arm 31 extends rearwardly and is curved downwardly, at the lower end of which is a second collar from which a horizontal pin 38 extends in a forward direction. A bracket 39 is pivotally mounted between its ends on the pin 38 and extends laterally in both the bracket 39, one on each of the oppositely threaded sections of the rod, whereby on rotating the rod by engaging the thumb nut at one end thereof the clamping shoes may be simultaneously separated-or moved toward each other,

depending upon the direction that the rod is turned. The clamping shoes having depending clamping flanges, are adapted to be brought against opposite sides of the upper end of the piston 2i which is to be treated and clamped tightly against the piston, whereby upon manual operation of the handle 33 to rotate the rod 32, the piston is turned about its vertical axis, and

upon turning the handle 3| upwardly, the piston 0 is elevated, the non-clamping position of the loeating members 22 permitting such vertical movement of the piston.

With this construction, in operation, shaft 9 being rotated by the motor, the bar I7 is rapidly moved back and forth at its lower end rocking on the shaft IS. The table 20 being connected to the bar ii is likewise moved back and forth in a horizontal plane, the piston 2i and the block 25 moving with it. Such rapid movement causes the impacting rods 25 to be rapidly reciprocated in the guide passages therefor through the block 25 and the ends of the rods are impacted against diametrically opposed inner points of the piston. The handle 33 may be used to turn the piston about its vertical axis and thus cause the impingement of the ends of the rods 2E over the entire inner portion of the piston skirt. The handle also, by moving the same upwardly, may change the position of the piston vertically with respect to the impacting rods and thus affect a wider area of treatment of the skirt. The impact and impingement of the ends of the rods 28 against the opposite inner sides of the piston skirt is substantially equal at both ends of the rods with a resultant symmetrical enlargement of the piston skirt. The piston, usually of aluminum or aluminum alloy, has the inner surface portions of the skirt indented by the pointed rods or peaned with rods having other formation at their ends, causing an increase of the circumference of the piston skirt, which increase or enlargement may be only a few thousandths of an inch, but sufficient to compensate for the Wear which has taken place and substantially restore the piston to a size to cor respond with the cylinder in which it is operated in those cases where wear upon both the cylinder and the piston has made the fitting of the piston within the cylinder too loose.

All pistons do not require the same degree of treatment, some requiring a greater expansion than others in accordance with the slack or looseness of fit which is to be remedied. With this invention I have provided means whereby a preselected degree or extent of the impacting treatment of the rods against the inner side of the piston skirt may be used and when such treatment has ended, the machine automatically stops through breaking the electric circuit through which current is supplied to the motor [3.

At one side of the upper extension 3 of the housing 2 a second vertical hollow housing 43 is located and secured over an opening in the upper side of the housing 2. At the front side of the housing 43 a dial 44, circular in outline, is secured, over which a setting hand 45 is adapted to move, the hand being fixed at the front end of a shaft 45 which extends rearwardly into and through the housing 43. The hand in one direction of movement comes against a stop head 41 at which position it points to zero on the indicating dial. A friction clutch 48 connects a worm wheel 50 with shaft 46, the worm wheel being driven by a worm 5| loosely mounted on a vertical stub shaft 52 (Fig. 6) and which has a detachable clutch connection at its lower end with a driving head 53 which in turn is driven by a flexible shaft 54, housed within an outer protective armor tube 55. The shaft 54 and its covering 55 extend downwardly toward the shaft 9 and through a worm wheel 56 at the lower end of the shaft 54 and which is in meshing engagement with the worm I on the shaft 9, said flexible shaft 54 is driven at a relatively low speed. As shown in Fig. 6, the outer sleeve or armor 55 around the flexible shaft is held in position by a releasable clamp consisting of the members 58, but on releasing said members 58 the flexible shaft and the driving head 53 may be pulled downwardly and disconnected from the worm if at any time it is necessary for repair or replacement or any other attention to the flexible shaft.

At the outer and rear end of the shaft 48 a dog 59 (Figs. 5 and 6) is secured, adapted when the indicating hand points to zero, to engage with a weighted dog lever 60 which has a weighted end 50a and which is secured to the stub shaft 5! below the shaft 48 and, like it, extending inwardly through the rear side of the housing 43. At its inner end, shaft BI is securely connected to a clamping block member 62 which serves to releasably 'carry and hold a mercury switch element 63, having contacts in one end from which the circuit wires 54 lead. When the mercury switch 53 is in a horizontal position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, the mercury within the tube does not bridge between the contacts, one of which is over the other, and current can not pass through the circuit. But when the mercury switch is tilted so as to lower the end thereof in which the contacts are located and elevate the opposite end, the space between the contacts is bridged by the mercury and the cir cuit completed. With the switch in a horizontal position, when it is free to move, the weighted end 65a of the weighted lever 60 will tilt the switch to close the circuit, but normally such movement is prevented by the friction engagement of a flat vertical bar or blade 55 (Fig. 5) which bears against the mercury switch to one side of the clamping block member 62 (Fig. 8) thereby holding the switch in its inoperative position. The bar 65 is connected to a push rod 66 having a push button or head 61 at its forward end where it projects through and beyond at the front side of the housing 43, and is held in such projected position by the compression spring 68, as shown in Fig. 4.

When a piston is to be treated with the machine and in accordance with the method of my invention, it is first measured to ascertain the extent of piston skirt enlargement required, then placed in the machine and the setting hand 45 one less worn, the setting hand 45 will be moved correspondingly farther away from its zero pointing position. For example, it might be turned to point to the figure 4 on the dial. But for pistons which have been less worn, the setting hand 45 will be turned a less distance. In any case, when the hand 45 has been turned away from its zero pointing position, it is evident that the dog 59 will be movedcounterclockwise (Fig. 6) away from its engagement with the weighted dog lever 60. Then by pressing upon the head Bl the mercury switch 63 will be freed for movement through moving the member 55 away from the. switch, whereupon the switch will be tilted by the lever 60, with a resultant closing of the circuit to the motor I3.

As the treatment proceeds and the machine is driven by the motor l3, the hand 45 moves back from the position to which it has been set to its initial zero pointing position. The dog 59 moving with it approaches the upturned end of the weighted lever 60, eventually striking thereagainst and automatically turning said lever 50 clockwise (Fig. 6) with a simultaneous turning of the mercury switch from its tilted circuit closing position to its horizontal circuit opening position. Thus, when the machine has operated for a sufficient period such that the hand 45 has returned to its initial zero pointing position, the motor is then automatically stopped through the automatic breaking of the circuit which supplies it with electric current, as described.

The machine described is one which has been improved'and perfected over that shown in my prior application for patent to which reference has been made, and with it the desired operations are easily performed, producing a substantially perfect product. Many variations in constructive detail may be resorted to. For example, the impact rods 26, as previously stated, do not necessarily need to have pointed ends, and they may be mounted in many diiferent ways upon a holding guide block, not all of them necessarily being located one over the other, as shown in the present disclosure. An increase in the circumference or the stretching of the piston skirt in a worn piston has come to be an accepted way of reconditioning pistons for further use. The method which I have invented, disclosed in my prior filed application, and the machine by which such method is carried out as disclosed in the present application, produce the required enlarged piston skirt result in a rapid, practical and efiicient manner.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, means for supporting a piston, means for oscillating said supporting means back and forth in a direction substantially parallel to a diameter of the piston,

and loosely mounted and guided impact members carried on said support within the piston and adapted to be longitudinally reciprocated when the piston is oscillated back and forth to strike against the inner side of the piston.

2. In a device of the class described, a support, a bar pivotally mounted at one end thereon, means operatively connected with the opposite endof the bar for oscillating said bar about its pivotal mounting, a support connected with said bar upon which a piston is adapted to be placed, means for holding the piston on the support whereby the piston is moved back and forth in a direction substantially parallel to a diameter of the piston, means for striking the inner surface of the piston carried by said table within the piston comprising a guiding "lock having guide openings therein substantially parallel to said diameter of the piston, and rods slidably received in said openings, the length of said rods being less than the diameter of the piston, as and for the purposes specified.

3. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 2, combined with manually operable means connected with the piston for turning the piston about its longitudinal central axis to present diiferent portions of the inner sides of the piston to the ends of said rods.

In a machine of the class described, a vertical support, a bar pivotally mounted at its upper end on said support and extending downwardly, means connected with the lower end portion of the bar for oscillating said bar back and forth about its pivotal mounting, a horizontal support connected to and extending from said bar adapted to have a piston located thereon with the lower end of the piston resting upon said support, means for holding the piston in relation to said table whereby it oscillates therewith in a direction substantially parallel to a diameter of said piston, a block carried by said support within the piston having longitudinal substantially horizontal guide passages, and rods mounted for free movement in the passages in said block, said rods having hardened ends and the length of said rods being less than the inner diameter of the piston, as and for the purposes specified.

5. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 4, combined with a vertical rod extending above the piston, means for mounting said rod on said bar whereby the rod may be turned about its vertical axis and means at the lower end of the rod adapted to have detachable connection with the piston whereby the piston may be turned about its longitudinal vertical axis on turning said rod.

6. In a machine of the class described, a horizontal supporting table adapted to support a piston thereon with the open end of the piston resting upon the table, means for rapidly moving the table back and forth in a substantially horizontal plane in a direction parallel to a diameter of the piston, means for holding the piston against displacement with respect to said table, a member attached to said support located within the piston and extending upwardly within the piston, said member having horizontal guide passages, and rods loosely mounted in said guide passages in said member, the horizontal length of said member and the length of said rods being less than the internal diameter of the piston.

'7. A machine comprising a vertical support, a vertical bar suspended at its upper end from said support to rock about a horizontal axis, said bar being vertically slotted at its lower end portion, a horizontal shaft mounted for rotation on said support, a disk secured to one end of the shaft, a

pin connected to: the: disk. at. adistance from the center thereof adapted to enter the slotted portion of said bar, a horizontal support secured" to and extending from said bar, a block having a plurality of horizontal guide openings secured to and extending from said bar, a block having a plurality of rods mounted for free movement in said passages.

8. In a machine of the class described, means for supporting a piston, means for oscillating said supporting means and piston thereon back and forth in a direction substantially parallel to a diameter of the piston, impact members movably mounted in guides carried on said support within the piston, said members being longitudinaliy reciprocated when said support and piston is oscillated back and forth to thereby strike against the inner side of the piston, and means for turning the piston about its longitudinal axis as it is being oscillated.

9. In a machine of the class described, means for supporting a piston with its open end against the supporting means, means for oscillating said supporting means and the piston thereon back and forth in a direction substantially parallel to a diameter of the piston, and movably mounted impact members carried by said support within the piston adapted to move back and forth when the piston is oscillated, to thereby strike against the inner sides of the piston.

10. In a machine of the class described, means for supporting a piston, means for oscillating said supporting means and the piston thereon back and forth in a direction substantially parallel to a diameter of the piston, movable impact members within said piston carried by the supporting means adapted to be moved back and forth when the piston is oscillated to strike against the inner sides of the piston, and means for moving the piston in the direction of its central longitudinal axis while it isbeing oscillated.

11. In a machine of the class described, a support, a member pivotally suspended thereon, means for oscillating said suspended member back and forth, means for carrying a piston on said suspended oscillating member, impact members within the piston carried by said support movably mounted and adapted to impact against the inner sides of the piston upon oscillation of i said suspended member, means for setting the machine while at rest for a predetermined period of impact treatment upon the piston, and means for automatically stopping said suspended member from oscillatory movement at the end of such period.

12. In a machine of the class described, a vertical support, a bar suspended adjacent its upper end for oscillating movement, a horizontal shaft, means for driving the shaft, operative connections betwen the shaft and the lower portion of said bar for rapidly oscillating said bar about its pivotal mounting on rotation of the shaft, a horizontal support connected with the bar adapted to have a piston positioned vertically thereon, means carried by said support within the piston including movable impact members which are moved back and forth upon the oscillation of the bar to strike against the inner sides of the piston, means for setting the machine while at rest for a predetermined period of impact treatment upon the piston, manual means for starting the mechanism in motion, and means for automatically stopping the machine at the end of said preselected period.

13. In a machine of the class described, a vertical support, a vertical bar pivotally suspended at one side of the support, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said support, means to drive the shaft, connections between the shaft and said bar for rapidly oscillating the bar about its axis of pivotal suspension upon rotation of the shaft, a horizontal shelf connected to said bar above the shaft, said shelf being adapted to have a piston located thereon with its open end against said shelf, movable impact members carried by said shelf within the piston adapted to move back and forth on oscillation of said bar, a rod mounted on said bar adjacent the upper end thereof and extending downwardly in front of the bar substan tially over the upper end of the piston, clamping means carried by said bar for engaging opposite sides of the upper end portion of the piston, and

means for manually operating said clamping means to clamp against the piston or to be moved away therefrom to release said piston.

14-. A construction as defined in claim 13, combined with means for mounting said rod for turning movement about its vertical axis and for 1ongitudinal vertical movement, and a single means for turning the rod about its vertical axis and for moving it longitudinally upward.

15. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 13, combined with means for mounting said rod on said bar and means for adjustably mounting said last mentioned means upon said bar for vertical adjustmentthereupon and for securing it in any position to which adjusted.

- HOLLY M. OLSON. 

